


Home For Christmas

by Lobotomite



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Gen, some Libby if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-20 14:54:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13149027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lobotomite/pseuds/Lobotomite
Summary: Liv always used to hate Christmas. She's starting to think it might not be so bad.





	Home For Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> It doesn't really come up, but this is technically an au in that Adam isn't suspected of Emma's death in this.

Liv has always hated Christmas. Her mum always made a big deal on the lead up, insisting it was going to be different this year, this was their new beginning and they were going to have a _proper_ Christmas. But every time, when Christmas morning came around, she'd be stuck sitting in front of a scraggly artificial tree that she'd had to set up herself, forcing a smile as she opens presents she pretends not to know were brought and hastily wrapped the night before. Then there's the slog of getting through the rest of the day, assuring her mum that no, of course she's having a good time, of course she doesn't mind that it's just the two of them. Of course she doesn't see families and friends on TV and feel her heart twist at the idea that for most people it's a day of joy and closeness to their loved ones, when she's sat here trying to make sure her mum doesn't have an emotional crash like she does every year.

Christmas in Emmerdale, though... she finds she doesn't mind it so much. Enjoys it, even. She's starting to see what other people love about the holiday. This is the second year in a row that the tree has been set up with plenty of time to spare. By her, Aaron, and Gerry this time, a rambunctious affair that consisted of Aaron having to stop the two of them from bringing home the biggest tree they could possibly find, and then all of them trying to decorate in between throwing baubles at each other and getting tangled up in tinsel and Christmas lights. Gerry gets overenthusiastic at one point and chucks a bauble that turns out to be glass, shattering it against the wall, and her heart skips a beat waiting for what feels like Aaron's inevitable fury and the night to be ruined - but he just snorts and calls him a twat, making him clear up the mess and putting him on pine needle clean up duty, and she revels in warm sense of safety and _home_ as Gerry grumbles and Aaron grins at her.

The final product is nothing like the carefully colour coordinated, tasteful tree of last year. It doesn't stand up perfectly straight, it's asymmetrical, and it's laden down with a hodge-podge of mismatched decorations and then smothered in tinsel and lights. She adores it, in all of it's wonky, cheerful, scraggly glory.

And then there are _presents_. Aaron is a disaster and most certainly going to be doing his proper Christmas shopping at the last minute, but she comes home one day to find a few little presents wrapped up and sitting unassumingly under the tree.

"I saw something I thought you'd like," is all he says when she asks about them, and her heart feels too big for her chest at the thought that he thinks about her when he's doing his own thing, that he cares enough to see something and think of her enough to buy it, wrap it, and put it under the tree. Well, pay someone to wrap it, she's assuming; it's wrapped up far too neatly for it to have been Aaron.

The next day she heads straight for Hotten after school to buy something of her own to put under the tree, and ends up finding something for Aaron, Gerry, Gabby and Chas, placing the relevant ones quietly next to Aaron's small pile and trying and failing not to beam when Aaron notices and ruffles her hair fondly. Okay, so she brought it all with his money, but still. She earned that money fair and square by not giving him back any change whenever he asked her to buy things or gave her lunch money.

Gerry is even more of a disaster than her and Aaron combined, but even he drops a few hastily wrapped presents under the tree with a good few days to spare and an unreasonably proud smile. She has no idea how she ended up with this weird, cobbled together little family, but she's genuinely never been happier.

She actually wakes up early Christmas day with her heart thumping in excitement rather than dread, and when she comes tromping down the stairs to see Aaron cooking pancakes in a stupid Christmas sweater she doesn't even want to stop herself from throwing her arms around him. He lets her cling to him while he does his best not to let the pancakes burn, one arm around her shoulders, and only shoos her away when he's got a nice pile on the plate.

"Go wake up our resident squatter so we can have breakfast and get into those presents," he orders, playfully swatting at her as she rips off a bit of pancake and stuffs it into her mouth as she goes. He's quick to be roused once she mentions the prospect of food, and she spends the entire Christmas morning beaming, ripping into her presents with an excitement she hasn't felt since she was a child and trying not to preen when Aaron and Gerry appreciate what she's given them.

She's so used to strained, quiet Christmases with her mum that go by achingly slowly that it's almost overwhelming having so much to get through during the day. The early morning is spent with Aaron and Gerry, and then she rushes off to meet Gabby in the small window of time that Gabby is free and Aaron has gone off to spend some time with Adam. Gerry asks to tag along, and she feels guilty that her initial reaction is to tell him to fuck off and give her some time to be with Gabby on her own, but in a rare bout of social awareness he realises immediately that she'd rather go alone and decides to stay and commandeer Aaron's playstation instead.

They don't have much time before Gabby has to get back to her family, but there's enough time to exchange well wishes and presents. She's loved all of today and she's sure she'll love the rest of it, but she doesn't think anything will top the pleased redness of Gabby's cheeks and the tight hug she gets when she hands Gabby her present.

She doesn't end up being wrong; the Dingle's Christmas dinner is cheerful and festive and chaotic in the best way, but it doesn't top her time with Gabby. It's still the best Christmas she's ever had, though.

She feels warm and accepted, listening to the Dingle chatter, joining in the good natured teasing of Aaron and Alex, cheering with the rest of them when the infamous welly makes an appearance (Alex looks baffled, but they seem to be doing their best not to scare this one away and the only mention of him drinking from it comes from an innuendo-filled comment from Charity that he takes with good humour) and 'sneaking' sips of alcohol when she thinks nobody is going to call her out. She feels the occasional pang of jealousy at the effortless way that Gerry, so new, fits in like he's been a Dingle his whole life, but it's hard to feel anything but warm and happy and accepted (her throat goes tight with emotion when Lisa calls her "our Liv" in a conversation regarding Alex, and she has to flee briefly to the bathroom to get rid of her wet eyes and beaming smile) and the feeling passes quickly.

She'd always hated Christmas. But sitting here, warm and slightly tipsy and surrounded by people who love each other and seem to consider her one of them, she's never been happier.


End file.
